EDITORIAL COMMENT 



Further Di^veIvOpments in the Airplane Spruce Situation 



In the December, 1917, issue it was stated that spruce production 

 (which amounted in 1909^ to only 225 miUion feet of all lumber grades 

 in Washington and Oregon, and which has apparently never exceeded 

 300 million feet board measure, only 10 to 15 per cent of which would 

 grade as airplane stock) could not be brought up to military require- 

 ments without aid from the Government. Shortly after the former 

 statement was written, an investigation of the situation by Col. Brice 

 Disque, of the Signal Corps Aviation Section, brought the situation 

 forcibly to the attention of the War Department. With commendable 

 promptness that Department created the spruce-production division in 

 the Signal Corps and placed Colonel Disque in charge, with full au- 

 thority to supervise and secure spruce production by any necessary 

 means. Vigorous measures have followed, which give promise of in- 

 creasing the production of spruce to the required amounts (10 million 

 feet board measure or more per month) within a short space of time. 



The measures taken include the formation of a military force of 

 sufficient size to bring the number of men working in the spruce region 

 from some 3,000 up to 10,000. The first efforts will be toward bringing 

 existing producing operations to maximum production by furnishing 

 military units where necessary to supplement present labor supply. An 

 ingenious method has been devised through which employers will not. 

 obtain labor from this source any cheaper, and soldiers who have vol- 

 unteered for the service will receive the same wage as civilian em- 

 ployees. The management is thus fair both to the existing labor, the 

 employer, the soldiers, and the Government. It is wise in utilizing 

 established organizations and bringing in new only where necessary. 



Logging and sawmill operations along the usual lines will be supple- 

 mented by riving spruce in stands which cannot be reached at once by 

 extension of logging operations. Riven spruce can be taken out over 

 ordinary highways, so the amount of stumpage immediately available 

 is enormously multiplied. Adequate measures have been taken to 

 transport this material with motor trucks. 



These points and others were brought out at recent meetings with 



^ See Table i, Bulletin 544, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 

 250 



